written by Lisa Marie Anselmi, Associate Professor and Chair, Anthropology Deparment, and Mark Clapsadl
Dr. Lisa Marie Anselmi’s Anthropology class (ANT 389 Bioarchaeology Methods) utilized the Field Station grounds for several weeks of intensive hands-on instruction using techniques of forensic excavation of human remains. The staged scenario excavations included one simulated forensic anthropology case and one simulated archaeological burial feature, loosely based on the site of Varna in Bulgaria. The Field Station grounds provided a secure site so that the painstaking work could proceed carefully and slowly and remain undisturbed for the duration of the class. The location also allowed students to learn to excavate a cremation burial (using animal bones) in addition to excavating the scenarios which used teaching casts of human remains.
